I Move 2 End Human Trafficking
Human trafficking: this has been a problem since the birth of social classes. African men and women were shipped from their home country to a foreign land where their labors were expected. Today, human trafficking has taken a more crude form of labor: Sex Exploitation.
From children to grown women, the victims of this crime are forced to give up their humanity by serving the sexual desires of men and women, both local and international. Also, due to the widespread commodity of internet connection, cyber crime has sailed through the roof. Child exploitation has already become a multi-million dollar industry in the Philippines. Funded by people who pay via credit card for online sexual stimulus, it’s no wonder why this is so.
To stop human trafficking was the objective of the Carolinian Justice Advocates. To bring awareness to this underground and often ignored crime, CJA organized the #imovetoendhumantrafficking Justice Concert. The musical event took place on the night of September 24, 2013.
The concert featured various Carolinian talents, along with a songwriting contest. The contest had three talented groups competing to win. With the theme “Justice”, the teams were tasked to compose their own lyrics and melodies. This contest was not limited to Carolinian talent alone but a group had to have at least one student studying in USC. The three groups that competed were: Key of X, a synth-pop-rock group with their song “A Symphony, You and Me”, Black A, a voice and violin duo with their song “Here I am” and Thursday Danger, a group emanating testosterone with their song “When will I See Liberty?
The 2011 winner of the songwriting contest Sarah Reyes Caparas sang her winning piece to the audience. Other groups who provided entertainment were DaRa, Gestalt and the IE Groovers.
GMA star and singer Barbie Almalbis serenaded the audience of Carolinians and civilians alike. She sang with a soulful energy befitting the theme. She told the audience that she supported the cause of the concert because she
has two kids that she’d like to keep safe. Aside from the musical components of the concert, CJA also partnered with the Theresian Justice Advocates, Metro Cebu Justice Advocates, University of Cebu Justice Advocates, the Collegiate Engineering Council, the Rotaract Club USC Chapter and many more. The International Justice Mission had coins for Hope, the proceeds for which go to the children and women that the IJM rescued from exploitation. The Paper Project, solely retailing in Manila, came to Cebu to support #imovetoendhumantrafficking. Their cards are made from recycled paper and abaca. Women who were rescued from the trade made each card that the Paper Project sells. The Paper Project’s proceeds directly go to support the women who made their cards. In the end, Thursday Danger won the songwriting contest with Black A coming in second. The event, all in all, was a smashing success.
What can YOU do to stop Human Trafficking? After all, your help is another drop in the bucket. Help fill it up.
